Why All the Suffering?
Pastor Richard Wurmbrand, found of Voice of the Martyrs, spent a total of 14 years in Romanian prisons suffering tortures and separation from his wife because of his faith in Christ. In the most recent edition of the Voice of the Martyrs magazine, an edited excerpt from Wurmbrand's book, 100 Prison Meditations, addresses the ages-old question that is the defense of every atheist, the stumbling block to most agnostics, and the problem of all humanity: Why all the suffering?
Wurmbrand reflects:
"Reading the Bible in a solitary cell, from memory, I am struck by the extent to which suffering pervades it. It begins with the catastrophe of mankind's expulsion from paradise, and it concludes with the majority of mankind entering hell. Why do even saints have to suffer? Is suffering God's only educational method? Why does evil exist? Why have Christians suffered for decades in Communist jails?
"After dedicating forty years of his life to missionary work among the Australian aborigines, a pastor fell sick. He suffered greatly as he was being transported on primitive roads to the city and was barely able to breathe. He asked his family to sing and to read to him from the Bible. Finally he said, 'Stop praising! I have serve Him my whole life and He does not care for me.' He took the Bible from his wife's hand and threw it into the bush. He could find no answer to the problem of suffering.
"The only answer that I believe should be given is not to ask the question. Jesus, when he was on the cross, asked God why He had forsaken even His only begotten Son. His question is followed only by a question mark. All that is revealed to us is that the question exists and that we can live with it.
"A sufferer once came to a pastor and asked him many questions. The pastor answered, 'Kneel here in church and ask Jesus for the answers.' The man replied, 'Do you really think I will hear a voice from heaven?' 'No,' said the pastor, 'but by keeping quiet in prayer for several hours before God, you will realize that you can go along without answers to all your problems. This would have been Jesus' answer, and it will quiet you.' You do not need more than His peace, which passes all understanding. You do not need both peace and understanding, for understanding presupposes qualifications that most of us do not have."
What is your attitude toward the sufferings you endure, or toward the sufferings of others? As we approach September 11th, many people are asking the question afresh, and the truth remains the same, and is summarized well in the seventh question of the Westminster Shorter Catechism (1647):
Q: What are the decrees of God?
A: The decrees of God are, His eternal purpose, according to the counsel of His will, whereby for His own glory, He hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass.
What we are given to know is our purpose, which is to glorify God. How are you glorifying Him, and encouraging others in this delight?
